Life Sentence
by blacksunset1214
Summary: Chelsea and Vaughn, former partners in a business they'd rather not talk about, escape from the city; new names, new appearances, new everything. All to become farmers on a remote island, much to Chelsea's dismay. Because really, who would ever want to leave the city?
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I said on my profile I was going to start a Velsea fic, so here it is! I have no idea if I'll get a positive reaction to Chelsea's character, buuuut I hope at least some of you like her!**

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Chelsea's POV

We walked at an ordinary pace down the wharf, hand in hand. Our fingers were intertwined, and we glanced behind us every thirty seconds to make sure we weren't being followed. An old, shabby boat eventually came into view. On the side were faded blue block letters that spelled _Serene_. _Serene, my ass._ That thing looked like it would break down at any second. I glanced at S- I mean… Vaughn, with repulsion; we weren't actually going to go on this thing, right? He stopped and stared at me with his purple orbs, while giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. I knew by his expression he was telling me to stop complaining, and that everything would be okay. I sighed in defeat, and we proceeded again towards a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard standing in front of the boat.

"You two are coming aboard to go to…" he glanced at his clipboard. "Sunshine Islands?" _No. We're going to freaking Candy Land._ …_No, now's not the time for sarcasm. Remember, Chelsea. New life, new attitude. New life, new attitude._ I nodded, forcing a cheeky grin.

"Names and proof of identification?"

"Chelsea Munstrone." Well, here we go. I handed him my passport and ticket, waiting for him to give me the okay. He scanned over them for what seemed like an eternity, and I was quickly losing patience. _Can this guy hurry up already?_

"Vaughn Weiss." I saw Vaughn stiffen as the guy glanced at his passport. He hid his nervousness, and kept his stoic glare.

He nodded, taking the tickets and moving aside. "Well then, have a safe trip." _Yeah, I hope so._

We got on the deathtrap, and our luggage was taken away to be stored. Soon after, we departed from the wharf.

With each passing second, the city became more of a blur, and I felt a fresh wave a tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. The city was my home, and now I could never return to it. All I would have left are memories.

Now, I would have to spend the rest of my life in some happy-pappy, outdated, puny island. Seriously. Whoever came up with the name 'Sunshine Islands' should just go home. With living in the city, you never ran out of things to do. But what would I do in Sunshine Islands? Oh, lemme think; farm, eat, talk… That's all I can think of. Such a great life.

And then there's the whole _farming _issue…

Farming was definitely not in my life plan. Even as a little kid, I was never one for the outdoors, and now I'm being forced to become a farmer. Go figure. Just thinking about all the animals and crops I'll have to deal with; it's making me gag. At least I'll have Vaughn to help me out…

My thoughts were cut short by a pair of muscular arms wrapping around my waist. Vaughn rested his head on my shoulder, his breath tickling my ear.

"It's going to be okay, alright? From what my cousin Julia told me, Sunshine Islands is a great place." He must've noticed my foul mood.

"But what will I do for the rest of my life? Farm? Vaughn, I want to live my life! I have a bucket list!"

"Everything will be alright." He repeated. "I just want you to be safe, and this is the best option. I love you."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "I know, I know. I love you, too. And… Thank you… For protecting me. It'll be better since you're here with me." I smiled and he kissed me softly. We watched our home grow smaller and smaller in silence, until it was no longer visible.

Four hours later, we had docked at the islands. Luckily the boat hadn't sunk, and once Vaughn and I had gotten our things back, we walked down the gangplank onto the dock. I adjusted my red bandana, looking around slowly. _The fresh air, the small buildings._ It was all so foreign to me. And the roads; they weren't even legit roads. Just dirt paths.

_Welcome to Sunshine Islands._

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**It's short. I know. But my previews are always short. I'll try to update soon. I'm pretty happy with this preview. I got it done pretty quickly. Regarding plot, I see a lot of Velsea fics in the Harvest Moon fandom, and they're practically all about the same thing. **_**Chelsea comes to Sunshine Islands for some reason with her precious bandana, and meets the stoic animal dealer, Vaughn, who at first won't open up to her. They eventually start to become friends, which then blossoms into love. On the sidelines, an extremely jealous Sabrina tries to destroy their relationship, only to be beat up by Chelsea in a *cough* totally-non-crazy-fangirl-way *cough* in the end.**_** Am I right? Um… but no offense or anything. Just making a point. I'm not trying to start riots. I tried to make it different by starting the story off with Chelsea and Vaughn already in a relationship. Tiny little details that I added in will be explained in later chapters. There'll also be major important flashbacks about what happened in the city, and how that ties in on why they're even coming to Sunshine Islands in the first place. Hope you all enjoyed this so far; please leave a review! They always make my day.**

**-blacksunset1214**


	2. Chapter 2

**I cannot begin to describe how sorry I am for not getting this out sooner. I'm fresh meat- err… a freshman this year, and school work has been piling up. I feel so bad. **

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I heard a high-pitched squeal and the stomp of feet, which undoubtedly belonged to the two people running down the pier towards me and Vaughn. The one in the front was unbelievably pretty, and had to be our age. She had curly blond hair, and had a curvy figure; the denim crop top and short shorts didn't fail to show it off. The woman in back of her was obviously struggling to keep up. From what I could see, deep wrinkles covered parts of her face, and she was significantly chubbier than the person in front of her. When they arrived to us I saw they both had ice blue eyes.

"Sammy? Is that you? Wow, I hardly recognized you!" the model threw her arms around Vaughn. Who was this girl? I tried to hide my jealousy, keeping a stoic facade. When she finally let go, she turned to me, her bright smile still intact.

"You must be Chelsea! Sammy told me about you. I'm his cousin, Julia!" Oh. So this was his cousin and aunt he told me about. Smiling slightly, I stuck my hand out for her to shake.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you."Julia shook my hand with surprising strength.

"Wow, you guys look so cute together!" she let go of my hand, then gushed and gestured to me and Vaughn. "How did you guys meet? Oh my gosh, was it love a-"

"Now, Julia. We have plenty of time to catch up with Sam and Chelsea. Let's get them back to the shop, first." The other woman smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about my daughter. She can be such a chatterbox."

"Hey!" Julia exclaimed.

"It's true," the lady shrugged. "Anyways, I'm Mirabelle. It's so nice to meet you, Chelsea." Her eyes were filled with the type of wisdom accumulated over many years. I shook her hand, too and we started walking back to their shop, which apparently dealt with animals. Yuck.

The pier was made of rickety planks that creaked with every step I took. I glanced at Vaughn wearily, and he shot me the same look he gave me back on the boat. We were nearing the shop, and I winced as I saw the dirt already soiling my red galoshes. Not that I cared about them. It was my other shoes I was worried about.

We finally stopped at a building made of faded bricks, and a sign that read 'Animal Shop'_. _You've got to be kidding me.

"Well, this is it!" Julia gestured towards the building with her arms. "Oh, you're going to love it! It's small, but really cozy!" She picked up our suitcases and dragged them inside, and Mirabelle opened the door for us.

Small was an understatement, and cozy was a lie. This place was smaller than an ant. I faced the counter when I stepped in, and when I turned around there was the kitchen and living room. Two bedrooms and a bathroom lay further back. _This is it?_

"Taro told me that you'd be moving into your farm tomorrow," Mirabelle explained. "You can stay here for the night. I'll set up blankets and pillows for you on the couch."

I grinned, hoping it didn't seem forced or uncomfortable, because it actually was.

After settling in and getting "comfortable", dinner was ready. Julia brought the dishes to the medium-sized square table. Stiff wicker chairs were on each side, and I slid into one of them. In front of me was a simple, white plate; on top of a napkin were a fork and a spoon. Once everyone was seated, we started eating quietly.

"So, Sammy," Julia broke the silence. "What have you been up to these past years?"

Vaughn and I glanced at each other momentarily before he turned back to Julia. "Well," he started. _Don't you dare tell them, Vaughn. Don't. You. Dare. _"We've been working a lot. Oh, and it's not Sam anymore, Jules. It's Vaughn, now."

"Vaughn? Why'd you change your name?" Mirabelle cut in. She continued before he could answer the question. "You've changed so much. Purple eyes and silver hair is a pretty unusual get-up."

"Felt that it was time for a change," Vaughn shrugged, and then took a bite of his chicken nonchalantly.

"Oh, that's understandable," Julia nodded. "But as I was saying before, how did you guys meet? Fill me in with all the deets. Five years is a long time!" _Oh my goddess. 'Deets'. I haven't heard anybody say that since middle school._

"We became co-workers about three years ago," Vaughn said.

"Oh, where did you work?"

Vaughn froze, and didn't say anything.

"Entrepreneurs; we were entrepreneurs," I cut in.

"Oh, that's nice. What did you guys sell?"

"A lot of stuff; it varied." I shrugged. Julia nodded, and we were all silent until Mirabelle turned to me.

"How do you like your dinner so far, Chelsea?" she asked.

My mouth was stuffed with food, and I waited until I swallowed it to answer her. "It's amazing! I haven't had food this good in awhile." Which was true; my words were completely genuine that time. I haven't had a home-cooked meal since I was sixteen; almost seven years ago.

Mirabelle smiled, satisfied with my answer. "I'm glad. You and Vaughn are always welcome to have dinner with us."

'We'll take you up on that offer," I said.

When we were finished, I took the dirty dishes to the sink and offered to help wash them, to which Mirabelle declined. Since it was only six o'clock, Vaughn and I decided to go out for a walk.

The air outside was cool and refreshing. This place is so quiet, during the day and night. It was such a drastic change from all those years of car horns, jackhammers, and all the bustle of the city. I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. On one hand, it was nice to finally have some quiet, but on the other hand I missed the noise. It was the sound of home.

Vaughn slipped his arm around my waist and held me close, and I stared into his violet orbs. Just three years ago, they were a deep, chocolaty brown. Time sure did pass by quickly. Without my consent, the memories came flooding back, of three years ago; when I first met Sam Martin.

* * *

_Three years ago_

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ I groaned, blindly feeling around for the snooze button on my alarm clock. When I finally found it, I burrowed myself into my sheets once again, only to be woken again five minutes later. I glared at my iHome, which sat on my bedside table. Twelve-thirty; I had to be at work in an hour. Looking to my right, I realized I was alone. Meh. What's-his-face probably snuck out last night when I was asleep. I threw off my bed sheets, regretting it when the air conditioning hit my bare skin. Waking up is always the worst part of the day.

After throwing on a red hoodie, a gray tank top, black skinny jeans, and black Chucks, I made my way to the kitchen and got out a small pot and a package of ramen. Being the _amazing_ cook I was, I could make at least ramen without burning it; therefore, that was my desired lunch each day, if I decided not to get take-out.

After an hour of eating ramen and watching re-runs of _That 70's Show_ on ABC Family, it was nearing one-thirty. I had to meet my boss at two o'clock. I shut off the lights and locked the door behind me, heading down to the garage, where my car sat. Hopping in, I turned on the ignition and drove out, driving speedily towards the more abandoned part of the city.

A half hour later, I parked my car in a hidden driveway of a deserted warehouse. The walls were caked with graffiti, and rusted metal columns were dispersed around the inside. The second the dim lamp light hit my face and I was recognizable, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Ah, you're just in time, Hillary." He wore a trench coat, and a black fedora hid most of his face.

"Hello, Mr. Sandor," I grinned lopsidedly at him. "I'm ready to receive this month's package."

"Of course you are. I have it right here, but I have to talk to you first."

"What about?"

"I'm giving you a partner."

"… What? Why?! I'm your best seller! I don't need a partner!"

"You know I know that. That's why I'm giving you one. He's a newbie to the business, so I'd thought I'd have you show 'im the ropes." Mr. Sandor chuckled. "Just dropped outta high school, so he's a few years younger than you. It'll just be for a few years, and then you can deal solo again."

"Who is this guy? What's his name?"

"Sam Martin. Good lookin', too." He winked.

Ignoring that, I stomped my foot in frustration. "I don't need a partner! I've been fine for the past four years dealing alone!"

"You really don't have a say in this, anyways. I'm your boss, remember?"

I sighed in defeat. "Whatever. When do I meet this guy?"

"Right now." Wait, what? "He's here, right now. C'mon out, Sam."

Another figure stepped out from the shadows; Mr. Sandor wasn't lying when he said he was good looking. 'Sam' has short, deep brown hair, with matching eyes that are narrowed in my direction. His complexion is pasty; but he's tall. And buff. He looks very muscle-y underneath the blue T-shirt he's wearing. Hm, I wonder if he has a six-pack…

I continued my staring, until he shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. Diverting my attention to Mr. Sandor, I did my best not to glare. Even though this 'Sam' guy is hot, I still don't want a partner. Nothing would change his mind, though; I knew that. "… Fine. Give me this month's shipping, and I'll take 'im with me."

Sam stood awkwardly off to the side while my boss brought out a heavy looking bag. He pulled out multiple Ziploc bags full of cut up, dried leaves, and dark blocks wrapped in plastic wrap. Nodding, I took them from him and stuffed them in the backpack I brought along with me. Weed and hash, nice. This continued until Mr. Sandor brought out multiple bags of what appeared to be a white, crystalline powder; I immediately deduced it to be cocaine. Heh, this month really should bring in the dough. I'm glad Mr. Sandor agreed to give me forty percent of the income.

Once I finished stuffing in all the products, I looked at them again. "Wait, so where is he living?"

"With you." My boss said bluntly.

"What?" I gaped. "Why can't he get his own place?"

"It saves a lot of money. Just live with it for now, Miss Lancaster." Damn. He called me by my last name. That means he's really serious.

"Okay. Fine," I say. I'm completely defeated now. There's no arguing it. "Let's go, Sam." He obediently follows me out of the warehouse.

Before I'm out the door, I turn around again, waving to Mr. Sandor. "See ya!" He waves back at me, and grins.

Sam and I walk back to my car in awkward silence. He trails a few steps behind me. I open the door and slide into the driver's seat, motioning for him to get in the passenger seat. He complies, closing the door softly. Oh goddess; you could feel the awkward in the air.

"So," I start. "What do you know about drug dealing?"

"Not much," he shrugs. His voice is deep and masculine, but not too deep; just the right tone.

I sigh and turn on the engine, backing out of the driveway. All is silent between us again; this is going to be a long day.

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**So, that should be enough clarification on what Chelsea's job is, and her age, etc. If you guys didn't get it, seven years ago she was sixteen, which means in the present she is twenty-three years old. Since she met Vaughn three years ago, she was twenty back then; and she mentions that she's been dealing for four years, which would be sixteen. So you can deduce that something important happened when she was sixteen. And just so you know, this will probably all be written in Chelsea's point of view. Again, I'm sorry for the delay, and I'm sorry for future delays. It's November now, so I'm probably going to be tied up with school work and NaNoWriMo… Oh, and thanks to the reviewers of the preview! Hopefully, the next chapter I post will be longer than this. I really wanted to get this in tonight, so I cut it early. I think it's fine ending there. Zai jian!**

**- blacksunset1214**


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